STOP saying healthy food is more expensive

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  • Achrya
    Achrya Posts: 16,913 Member
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    but you have to think about more than just weight loss. diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer and other more or less severe chronic illnesses are directly linked to super processed junk. i wonder if heart disease is more or less expensive than a bag of apples?

    well you clearly know nothing about anything. My parents have both always eaten very healthy. My mum had cancer and my dad has heart disease... I think you will find that a lot of those diseases are hereditary and some are born with them.

    OMG this is so frustrating. i didnt say that healthy people dont get sick. read what i wrote again and maybe you will understand what i was trying to say.

    its annoying isn't it? Having someone not understanding what you are trying to say? That's how the majority of us on this topic are feeling while reading certain responses on here.
    but anyway 1) i read what you wrote perfectly 2) you said all these diseases and illnesses are directly related to "super processed junk". My argument is that they aren't. Cause if they were then healthy people wouldn't get them. Yes, super processed (whatever that is) food may not HELP but its not the cause.
    i am not saying that we should all go out and live off of mcdonalds or kfc or anything but i buy frozen processed turkey from Iceland because its £1.50 whereas a whole turkey (which my husband and i wouldn't eat all of) is about £15.00. The main argument from the majority here is that we have to live within our means

    im not talking about you here. im specifically talking about fast food, which i guess i could have been more clear about.honestly, i was just really frustrated by the woman who listed how many bags of chips she could buy for the amount of groceries the other woman bought. haha. have you ever seen a toddler with a baby bottle full of soda? i see that EVERY DAY. that is what im talking about. that is not right.

    That would have been me and all I can say is 'stay mad'. People want to argue that eating 'healthy' is cheaper and its just not true. For that woman's bag of apples and carrots I could buy 3 bags of lays and a 2-liter of Pepsi. Its more expensive to buy the better food; if that frustrates you take it up with the people who price the food.

    I never said I'd buy the chips. There are no chips in my home, they aren't my thing, and I spend 100+ dollars a week on food for two people, so clearly I'm shelling out the money for food. But what I do *personally* doesn't change how much the food is. It doesn't change that those 3 bags of chips would cost me less money. If that upsets you then you need to start lobbying for some reform, not getting angry at people on MFP for stating simple truths.
  • rachseby
    rachseby Posts: 285 Member
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    Sometimes there is just no arguing with an irrational mind. I'm not going to engage anymore cause I may just say something cheeky. Anyone who wants to add me... feel free.
    Please say cheeky again! :flowerforyou:
  • SabrinaJL
    SabrinaJL Posts: 1,579 Member
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    I was very good at couponing. Most coupons are for processed food. So yes, I could feed my family processed food for very cheap. When I started trying to be healthier, I started buying a lot less processed food and a lot more fresh. My grocery bill DID go up. I spend $15-$30 a week on berries alone. I used to go to the farmer's market every Friday. Here in San Diego, it doesn't seem to be any cheaper than shopping at the grocery store. I live in a townhouse with no yard at all so no gardening for me (I'd love to have a garden though). Am I using it as an excuse to eat crap? Nope. I pay what I have to pay. But there's no denying that I now have to pay more to feed my family than I did when I wasn't so concerned about our health.
  • rachseby
    rachseby Posts: 285 Member
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    IT ISN'T!!!!!! Those people who say that need to look at the cost of fastfood and junk food and THEN compare it to their DR bills???? Who is saving money NOW ?????????????????
    MAYBE there are people who don't have money for EITHER?!??????????????????????????????????????????????
  • saschka7
    saschka7 Posts: 577 Member
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    02a5301f7c7f714afda471e495f16e16_zpsac941bc0.jpg
    Turtle bomb.
    [not meaning I would use a turtle as a bomb but more of a "let's hijack the post with pictures of turtles" sort of measure.]
  • kazsjourney
    kazsjourney Posts: 263 Member
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    $30 for 2 for a week? Its costs me $10 for just 2 chicken breasts!
  • Joehenny
    Joehenny Posts: 1,222 Member
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    I honestly just bought $30 worth of fresh veggies, whole grain bread, meats, milk and cheese. I know it will last my hubby and I at least an entire week....

    I calculated how much it would cost to get mac and cheese and chips and soda and crappy foods, I could get about the same amount of food, but a bag of chips goes so fast and it's not filling and makes you feel uber icky. I know that if I bought $30 of junk food, fast food, quick meals - I would not be able to sustain more than a few days between two people.


    So, please stop with the excuses that eating healthy is too expensive. Grow a garden, pack some carrots, stay up an extra 10 mins to prepare a meal for the next day. Jeepers Creepers, quit complaining and research what groceries you have locally and what seasons good food comes in season/what freezes for winter when fruits and veggies go up in price.

    So with you on this one.
  • marararara
    marararara Posts: 1
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    Lol everyone on here is trying to lose weight but argue that 3dollar TV dinners are much better and less time consuming than making your own food with lotsa veg. This is why you got fat in the first place.
  • Achrya
    Achrya Posts: 16,913 Member
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    Lol everyone on here is trying to lose weight but argue that 3dollar TV dinners are much better and less time consuming than making your own food with lotsa veg. This is why you got fat in the first place.

    Quote me where someone said TV dinners are better.

    I'll wait.
  • SteviMcEwan
    SteviMcEwan Posts: 79
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    Sometimes there is just no arguing with an irrational mind. I'm not going to engage anymore cause I may just say something cheeky. Anyone who wants to add me... feel free.
    Please say cheeky again! :flowerforyou:

    Cheeky :) lol
  • saschka7
    saschka7 Posts: 577 Member
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    Lol everyone on here is trying to lose weight but argue that 3dollar TV dinners are much better and less time consuming than making your own food with lotsa veg. This is why you got fat in the first place.

    Quote me where someone said TV dinners are better.

    I'll wait.

    :laugh: You beat me to it. I'll wait too.
  • melindasuefritz
    melindasuefritz Posts: 3,509 Member
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    but it is
  • Loasaur
    Loasaur Posts: 125
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    Try buying healthy food for a family of 7 in Canada. Literally costs us probably $300 for two weeks, maybe three if we stretch REALLY hard. And that's not even meat. That's just produce, bread, dairy, etc. But I always say, If I'm willing to go out for a crappy dinner at a fast food place and spend and extra $100 to do that, I should be willing the spend the extra money and get healthy stuff. But still, it is more expensive. Especially fresh and organic produce and meat.
  • mandasalem
    mandasalem Posts: 346 Member
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    Holy crap, the number of people here who don't understand that "unhealthy" does not automatically equal "potato chips and McDonald's"... wow. And no one is advocating eating junk food. Folks are patiently trying to explain why socioeconomic status and obesity are so freakin' closely linked.

    It's because Hamburger Helper is cheaper and more filling and feeds more people than a chicken breast, for a better and more sensible answer.

    Period.

    Bagging on poor people for making what you see as bad choices is just ridiculous and a cheap shot.
  • SteviMcEwan
    SteviMcEwan Posts: 79
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    Lol everyone on here is trying to lose weight but argue that 3dollar TV dinners are much better and less time consuming than making your own food with lotsa veg. This is why you got fat in the first place.

    Nobody and I literally mean not ONE person has said that TV dinners are better or less time consuming. What people have said is that there are certain products that are CHEAPER than fresh stuff. Like frozen veg is a hell of a lot cheaper than fresh veg. And as for "This is why you got fat in the first place" you really know nothing about anybody on here. Some of us (like me) got fat because after we had a miscarriage the doctor put us on medication that makes you gain weight like crazy regardless of what you eat, or (again like me) have polycystic ovary syndrome which makes losing weight difficult. you have no right to come on here and make a general statement like that when you don't know what you are talking about.
  • Achrya
    Achrya Posts: 16,913 Member
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    Holy crap, the number of people here who don't understand that "unhealthy" does not automatically equal "potato chips and McDonald's"... wow. And no one is advocating eating junk food. Folks are patiently trying to explain why socioeconomic status and obesity are so freakin' closely linked.

    It's because Hamburger Helper is cheaper and more filling and feeds more people than a chicken breast.

    Period.

    Bagging on poor people for making what you see as bad choices is just ridiculous and a cheap shot.

    Nope. There is only healthy fresh food and McDonalds. There is no middle ground. Hamburger helper isn't 99 cents a box, and thus cheap while still being neither fresh nor 'healthy' (by the standers I think are being used in this thread anyway). It's all about those Golden Arches.
  • crosstrich
    crosstrich Posts: 40
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    i think i stated before that i was previously on welfare. i know what being poor is like. buying groceries that are healthy is not impossible on a fixed income. 3 bags of chips and a bottle of pepsi will not last as long as a bunch of kale, sweet potatoes, and a roast. a whole chicken and a handful of vegetables + some rice. dried beans. eggs. healthy food doesnt mean fine dining.
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
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    I love how some believe that everyone in the world drives or has access to farmer's markets.

    I live in Montreal. I don't drive as my vision doesn't allow it. I went grocery shopping this weekend. It took me 4.5 hours round trip. I had to go to two places to get everything on my list. It cost me just over 100$ for ingredients for lunches and 16 dinner portions. I cook my own dinners for the most part.

    There are two farmer's markets. It would take me as long to get to them. Forget about actual farms for me.

    This is reality for many people and so I can understand. Thank god you don't need to eat only whole food to lose weight!

    but you have to think about more than just weight loss. diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer and other more or less severe chronic illnesses are directly linked to super processed junk. i wonder if heart disease is more or less expensive than a bag of apples?
    And what you don't seem to realize it sometimes those considerations are luxuries people can't afford -- they're just trying to get through the week with a place to live and food -- any food -- to eat. On one hand it's great that so many people don't seem to have a freakin' clue about where some of us are coming from but on the other it's pretty infuriating to read posts like this.

    have you looked in to wellfare? seriously not a joke. access to food is a basic human right, and if you are literally starving because you cant afford to go to the grocery store, then you probably qualify for food assistance and should take advantage of it. i work for people w/ these issues. i can serve a meal for $2.13 that is completely from scratch and full of nutritous fruits and veggies. the people im talking about arent living on the streets starving to death (if they were starving to death i doubt they would be on a website dedicated to helping people lose weight). the people im talking about are eating mcdonalds instead of a more nutritious alternative arguing that they are only doing it because it's cheaper, which is not true in the short or long run. im saying that people who complain that nutritious food is more expensive are just making excuses and rationalizing their poor choices.
    Fortunately, my food budget these days is more than some peoples rent but thank you for the concern.

    There is also a difference between desperately poor and living paycheck to paycheck the way I grew up. There wasn't any money for fast food, chips or soda -- a bag of apples, oranges or a bunch of bananas (one of those not all, whichever was cheaper) and a lettuce, tomato and cucumber salad to go with our spaghetti were the "splurges" we had once a month.

    I can assure you my mother did the absolute best she could with what money she had at the time but that best didn't include "fresh veggies, whole grain bread, meats, milk and cheese". Because those foods aren't cheap. They're expensive for a lot of people and things like rent, electric and feeding your family at all has to take priority over whether or not heart disease is cheaper than fresh produce.
  • Achrya
    Achrya Posts: 16,913 Member
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    i think i stated before that i was previously on welfare. i know what being poor is like. using food stamps to buy groceries that are healthy is not impossible on a fixed income. 3 bags of chips and a bottle of pepsi will not last as long as a band of kale, sweet potatoes, and a roast.

    Chips are a snack and shouldn't be compared to a full meal. A bag of chips vs a bag of apples is a much more far comparison and the chips would last longer, I do believe. A bag of lays is 12 servings (or maybe it's 11. Idk, I don't have any on hand) and a bag of apples is about 7-8 apples. Logic says that I could get the chips, save 2.50, not have to worry about spoiling, and get more out of it.

    However one roast, some potatoes, and kale (which I would never eat, but whatever) would be...dinner. Maybe some tasty leftovers for lunch. I could buy a box of hamburger helper, a can of green beans, and a pound of ground beef for the price of that roast.
  • silken555
    silken555 Posts: 478 Member
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    StaticNomad...I heart you and applaud you for your courage. I hope you're able to get at least part of your lives back

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